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Rewards, Nicotine and the Brain


16 years ago 0 5195 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
There is one other Shevie post that means a lot to me. I'll see if I can find it and bump it up here. I quit with so many awesome people. Rusty, Duffis, Luna, Hummy, Golferman, Shevie, Cheryl, Sweetpea, OOF, Smogsliften, and so many others... gosh I miss all of you so much. I'm going to have to send out some emails! I'll look for the bump first. Lady [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 990 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 19,800 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,465.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 91 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 38 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22
16 years ago 0 2039 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks Lady. Reading that post really makes a lot of sense. It makes me understand what has happened, what is happening to me, and that its absolutely normal. Eventually the dopamine levels will even out, but until then I'm satisfied to be feeling a little bit better every day. Cheers, Jan [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/27/2008 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 48 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,200 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $408.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 31
16 years ago 0 1288 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks Lady! Sylvie, Bilingual Health Educator
16 years ago 0 2462 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks, Lady, for pulling up the original. Looks like just that last sentence was missing. And thanks Shevie for writing it in the first place! Rusty [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/13/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1188 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 33,264 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $4,158.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 169 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 12 [B]Seconds:[/B] 12
  • Quit Meter

    $54,319.20

    Amount Saved

  • Quit Meter

    Days: 641 Hours: 12

    Minutes: 57 Seconds: 59

    Life Gained

  • Quit Meter

    5223

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    208,920

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 5195 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
There have been some questions concerning rewards lately. I've been doing research (actually, more like rooting around) into the neuropharmacological aspects of nicotine addiction and thought I'd share a bit here. It's a bit long so if you want the bottom line, just skip to the colored part and start there. When you experience something pleasurable, certain areas of your brain called reward centers activate by releasing dopamine. The presence of dopamine is what causes the pleasurable feeling, the enjoyment, the �ahhh�. Smoking causes an increase in the dopamine levels. The actual mechanism is debated, but fMRI studies confirm the increase occurs. As you continue to smoke, the dopamine levels remain high and the brain starts shutting down some of the reward centers in an attempt to return to normal. This causes the smoker to require more, which raises the dopamine levels, which causes the brain to shut down even more reward centers. A balance is eventually reached, typically at the point of a pack per day (about 20 mg of nicotine). This also applies to users of chewing tobacco and snuff. So now a balance has been reached. The nicotine has raised dopamine levels and the brain has shut down reward centers to compensate. Heroin and cocaine users also reach this maintenance level where the fix no longer causes pleasure, but simply maintains �normal�. When the dopamine level begins to drop (30 � 60 minutes after the last smoke) the smoker begins to feel �the need� and has another fix which re-establishes the dopamine levels. When the smoker quits the levels of nicotine fall rapidly, as do the dopamine levels. After three to five days the nicotine is out of the system. The brain, however, does not recover as quickly. Without the constant smoking stimulus, dopamine levels are far below where they were. Since reward centers were long ago shut down to compensate for the increased dopamine levels caused by smoking, the (now) ex-smoker is operating at a �reward deficit�. As a result, the ex-smoker feels depressed, ill-tempered, and sad (cries a lot). Those who use sleep as an escape mechanism will tend to sleep much more. Another effect of this �reward deficit� is that ordinary, everyday rewards don�t seem to work anymore. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 988 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 19,760 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,458.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 91 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 12 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44
16 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks for the bump! Danielle, Bilingual Health Educator
16 years ago 0 2039 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks for the reminder, Rusty. I've been a little shy in the rewards department lately. One reward...coming up!!!! Have a great day, Cheers, Jan [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/27/2008 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 47 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,175 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $399.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 21
16 years ago 0 1209 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks Rusty.. Great article thanks for saving it. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/10/2008 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 32 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 544 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $108.80 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26
16 years ago 0 1160 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks Rusty for passing that on. It is just what I needed to read tonight. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/4/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 253 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,060 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,012.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 34 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25
16 years ago 0 2462 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
A couple of years ago, Shevie posted this and then last year Lady found it. For those of you who don't think you are worth a reward for your hard work, how about this as a chemical reason for giving yourself one. I don't think this is the whole post...perhaps someone else saved the original one. But the basic message is this: rewards are important for your physical [u]and[/u] emotional health. Stop saying you're not worth it and boost your endorphins today! :) [i]There have been some questions concerning rewards lately. I've been doing research (actually, more like rooting around) into the neuropharmacological aspects of nicotine addiction and thought I'd share a bit here. It's a bit long so if you want the bottom line, just skip to the colored part and start there. When you experience something pleasurable, certain areas of your brain called reward centers activate by releasing dopamine. The presence of dopamine is what causes the pleasurable feeling, the enjoyment, the �ahhh�. Smoking causes an increase in the dopamine levels. The actual mechanism is debated, but fMRI studies confirm the increase occurs. As you continue to smoke, the dopamine levels remain high and the brain starts shutting down some of the reward centers in an attempt to return to normal. This causes the smoker to require more, which raises the dopamine levels, which causes the brain to shut down even more reward centers. A balance is eventually reached, typically at the point of a pack per day (about 20 mg of nicotine). This also applies to users of chewing tobacco and snuff. So now a balance has been reached. The nicotine has raised dopamine levels and the brain has shut down reward centers to compensate. Heroin and cocaine users also reach this maintenance level where the fix no longer causes pleasure, but simply maintains �normal�. When the dopamine level begins to drop (30 � 60 minutes after the last smoke) the smoker begins to feel �the need� and has another fix which re-establishes the dopamine levels. When the smoker quits the levels of nicotine fall rapidly, as do the dopamine levels. After three to five days the nicotine is out of the system. The brain, however, does not recover as quickly. Without the constant smoking stimulus, dopamine levels are far below where they were. Since reward centers were long ago shut down to compensate for the increased dopamine levels caused by smoking, the (now) ex-smoker is operating at a �reward deficit�. As a result, the ex-smoker feels depressed, ill-tempered, and sad (cries a lot). Those who use sleep as an escape mechanism will tend to sleep much more.[/i] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/13/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1186 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 33,208 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $4,151.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 169 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 7
  • Quit Meter

    $54,319.20

    Amount Saved

  • Quit Meter

    Days: 641 Hours: 12

    Minutes: 57 Seconds: 59

    Life Gained

  • Quit Meter

    5223

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    208,920

    Cigarettes Not Smoked


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